Bridge.



No; 838,485. PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906.

W. B. WHITESIDE.

BRIDGE APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1906.

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No. 838,485. PATENTED DEC 11, 1906. W. E. WHITBSID'E. BRIDGE LAPPLIOATION FILED JULY 6, 1906.

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ATTORNEYS I'VILLIAM E. WHITESIDE, OF MANGUM, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

BRIDGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed July 6,1906. Serial No. 324,972.

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. IVHITE- SIDE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mangum, in the county of Greer and Territory of Oklahoma, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Bridges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in bridges; and it consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bridge embodying my invention, parts being broken away and others shown in section. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on about line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view from the under side of one of the top bearings. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view from the upper side of one of the bottom bearings; and Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a bridge embodying my invention, parts be ing broken away.

My bridge is especially designed as a combined railroad and wagon bridge, and it may be constructed of wood or iron or of such other material as the builder may deem best, and in practicev the bridge is designed to be a suspension built in sections with the ends of the bridge resting on abutments on the opposite banks of the stream or space to be bridged and the bridge being constructed with sections or units may be made of any suitable length within reasonable bounds.

In carrying out my invention I make the bridge in similar. sections, one complete section being shown in Figs. 1 and 5, with parts of the adjacent sections applied and connected with the complete section in order to fully illustrate the invention. The sections are constructed (see Figs. 1, 2, and 5) with basebeams A and top beams B, the inclined posts 0, between the said beams A and B and the tie-rods D connecting the said beams A and B together, with the cross-bars E mounted upon and extending between the beams A and forming a support for the rails F or for flooring, or for both, as may be desired.

The upper side of the top beams B and the lower side of the base-beams A may be armored or reinforced by the plates G G, through which the tie-rods pass, and washers or lap-plates g and g may be placed beneath the nuts and heads of the tie-rods when said tie-rods are passed between the adjacent ends of the reinforce-plates G and G, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings.

To form secure abutments for the upper and lower ends of the posts 0, I provide top bearings II and bottom bearings I, which are in the form of channel-rails, having the side flanges 7L and L to lap alongside thelr respective beams B and A, and they maybe secured by bolts, as shown at h and 'i, to their said beams in the practice of the invention. By this means the bearings H and I are held firmly to their respective beams and form by their keepers II and I secure abutments for the opposite ends of the posts. The loops or keepers II of the top bearings are separated by an intermediate plate or partition H while the keepers I of the bottom bearings are separate and have independent back plates I, which are spaced apart so that the alternating cross bars or beams E may rest upon the channel-rails of the bearings I between the adjacent back plates I and be thereby steadied in place between the lower ends of the adjacent posts O, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. Thus in practice the upper ends of the posts fit in the keepers of the top bearings and are separated by the partitlon-plate H and their lower ends fit in their respective keepers I of the bottom bearings. It will be noticed that I provide the connecting-rods D in such number that a rod is located centrally between each pair of posts, and as the posts are arranged at an incline, as shown in Fig. 1, rods D will pass down between the adjacent upper ends of the posts and through holes at H in the top bearings, thence down through the cross-beams E, (see Fig. 2,) and so on through the base-beams A, as shown in the said figure. The rods D, which pass through the holes I in the bearings I, extend thence up through the cross-beams E, and so on through the top beams, as shown in Fig. 1.

In uniting the sections of the bridge together it will be noticed that the ends of the beams A and B are rabbeted at a and b, forming lap-j oints and rods D extend through the lap-joints and secure the beams together at such points. It will also be noticed that the posts O at the ends of the sections are so disposed as to lap the joints, the upper ends of the end posts bearing beneath the top beams B of one section and upon the basebeams A of the adjoining section, and the rods D at such point passingthrough the lapping posts or the posts which are com-' mon to the adjoining sections, as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

I claim 1. A bridge'composed of sections having top beams, base-beams and inclined posts between the top and base beams and having the ends of the top beams and base-beams rabbeted forming lap-j oints and the posts at'the ends ofthe sections also lapping such oints with the upper ends of said lapping posts bearing beneath the top beams of one section and upon the base-beams of the adjoining section the top bearings having channel-plates fitting the lower sides of the top beams and provided-on the lower sides of said plates with keepers forming abutments for the upper ends of adjacent osts, the bottom bearings having channel-p ates fitting upon the upper sides of the base-beams and having on their upper faces separated keepers forming abutments for the lower ends of adjacent posts, cross-beams fitting between the keepers of the bottom bearings and extending between the opposite base-beams and rods connecting the top and base beams, substantially as set forth.

2. A bridge composed of sections having top beams and base-beams terminating at their ends out of vertical alinement and rabbeted forming lap-joints between the adj acent sections, inclined posts between the top and base beams, the posts at the ends of the sections lapping the joints between said sections and having their upper ends bearing below the top beams of one section and their lower ends bearing upon the base-beams oi the adjoining section and means connecting the top and base beams, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination in a bridge with the top and base beams and the inclined posts between the same, of the bottom bearings supported upon the base-beams and having keepers spaced apart and forming abutments for the lower ends of adjacent posts, cross-beams fitting between the spacedapart keepers of the bottom bearings and extending between the base-beams and means connecting the top and base beams, substantiall as set forth;

WILLIAM E. WHITESIDE.

Witnesses:

JAMES KELLY, WILEY C. SHADDEN. 

